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hello stranger midwest adventure

  • How to Visit Olympic National Park (Budget Guide!)

    May 25, 2025

    The best things to do in Olympic National park if you only have a weekend: hiking, waterfalls, and places to eat

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  • 19 Things to Do in the San Juan Islands (by a kayak guide!)

    May 1, 2025

    Looking for the best things to do in the San Juan Islands? Here is a complete guide on what to do in Washington’s San Juan Islands

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  • image of mount baker and bellingham below viewed from orcas island in the san juan islands

    17 Epic Things to do on Orcas Island, Washington

    March 16, 2025

    the best things to do on Orcas Island in Washington including hiking, food, and more

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  • Ultimate 7-Day Washington Road Trip Guide

    January 12, 2025

    looking for the best one week road trip guide for washington state leaving from Seattle? From National Parks to whale watching, I’ve got you covered!

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  • PNW Adventure Packing List (By an Outdoor Guide!)

    June 13, 2024

    Looking for the ultimate packing list for your PNW outdoor adventure trip? I’ve got you covered; here’s everything you need to have a great PNW adventure!

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  • Ultimate San Juan Islands Packing List (2025!)

    April 15, 2024

    The ultimate San Juan Islands packing list: what to bring for your kayaking, whale watching, and hiking trip to the San Juan Islands

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  • Sea Kayakers on the Pacific Ocean in the San Juan Islands

    9 Best Kayaking Spots in the San Juan Islands

    August 1, 2022

    The best kayaking in the San Juan Islands to see orcas, camp, and for adventure!

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maddymarq

guide & writer exploring the midwest🏕
📍Wisconsin Northwoods
inquiries: hello@madelinemarquardt.com
↓ FREE exploring the Midwest eBooks ↓
A Superior Dream Team 💙⬇️ Two Lake Superio A Superior Dream Team 💙⬇️ Two Lake Superior lovin’ accounts. One shared obsession with the north. And a giveaway bundle built for the dreamers, road trippers, sunrise seekers, and wave watchers. @freshcoastcabins and @maddymarq have teamed up to celebrate the wild beauty of the Keweenaw—and the community that keeps coming back for more. Whether you’re camping, cabin-ing, paddling, or just planning your next Great Lakes escape, this one’s for you. One lucky winner will receive: 🌀 A Rumpl Lake Superior blanket 🧢 A Fresh Coast Cabins beanie 📖 A copy of Keweenawland – a stunning photo book from Michigan’s Copper Country 🧤 A pair of handmade Nordic mittens crafted by Maddy herself To enter, head to @maddymarq ‘s link in bio and hit “ENTER GIVEAWAY” get ready to pack your bags (or at least your daydreams)🌊
Lake Superior summer camera roll🎞️ Things I’ve been up to lately: lots of writing, lots of reading the news for too long then logging off for several days, lots of trying to only read print magazines and articles only, lots of pink drinks and long walks and podcasts, lots of half finished projects, lots of sea kayaking but also not that much, lots of feeling overwhelmed and too busy but simultaneously not knowing what to do with any free time. Lots of little beautiful things and time either outside the whole day or struggling to get outside at all. Photos edited with my new “outdoor studies” presets! Now live and half off this week only :) 🔗in my profile! 📍Traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe Nation
Adventure is where you make it🤷🏼‍♀️ F Adventure is where you make it🤷🏼‍♀️ Footage from a trip with @visit_keweenaw !! Sauna @takkasaunas Hiking & paddling guides for this area can be found on my page :) 📍Traditional homelands of the Lake Superior Anishinaabe
AD/ Lake Superior adventure notes☀️⤵️ I s AD/ Lake Superior adventure notes☀️⤵️ I strongly recommend booking a guided tour for this route with @keweenawadventure ! Lake Superior is cold, the weather patterns can be difficult to read, and waves often kick up with little warning. It’s really important to paddle a sea kayak, or a boat with bulkheads or sealed pockets of air in the front and back— this way if you capsize your boat won’t sink out from under you and with deep water self rescue skills, or a guide who can help you, you can get back in and paddle to safety. A sea kayak alone isn’t enough! You also need safety gear such as a bilge pump, paddle float, and knowledge of rescues and how to use that safety gear. Check out @visit_keweenaw ’s Keweenaw Pasty Trail! 12 pasties, an epic route, and all the glory! Tragically I made it to pasty number four before I had to tap out🤣 After any hard day on the water or trail honestly nothing feels better than a sauna! @takkasaunas Superior location is right on the Lake and a perfect sunset spot! @visit_keweenaw #michigan #adventure
AD/ solo trip with @visit_keweenaw Here’s what AD/ solo trip with @visit_keweenaw Here’s what I’ve been up to… 1- paddled the gorgeous 12-mile route to Montreal Falls, which cascades directly into Lake Superior! This route has been on my list since my first summer working as a sea kayaking guide back in 2018.  This is an exposed route on a Great Lake! Deep water self-rescue skills and a kayak with bulkheads is a MUST. Book a guided tour with @keweenawadventure 2- Lots of solo hiking! I love Mt. Baldy, a six-mile route from Eagle Harbor and O Kun-De-Kun Falls! Also recommend the new Cliff View Trail at @mountbohemia and the Berry Picker Trail on Brockway Mountain. Find more trail resources on the @visit_keweenaw website! 3- Last winter I visited @takkasaunas on the Portage Canal, and this week I headed up to their sauna on Lake Superior for a sunset session and WOW!! I got so lucky with the sunset and the feeling of solo swimming in the lake to this!?? Unbeatable (Thanks to sauna guide Megan for being the coolest ever!!)  4- Long walks on the beach :)  The Great Sand Bay in the Keweenaw is one of my favorite places on earth 5- Solo dinner @lake_effect_barandgrill In 2018 after my first year working as a sea kayak guide I did my first ever solo trip up here to the Keweenaw and had my first ever solo meal in a restaurant at this place. Now, seven years later it felt kind of serendipitous to come back and retrace my steps.  6- I ate too many pasties  My friends at @visit_keweenaw slipped me a brochure for the Keweenaw Pasty Trail and for a brief and shining moment I did consider trying to eat 12 pasties in four days. I didn’t make it that far, but my favorites were from Jen’s Kitchen in Calumet, Mohawk Superette in Mohawk and Krupp’s Mini Mart in Toivola.  7- Did some shopping in Houghton!  @down_wind_sports is one of my favorite outdoor shops/used gear spots, and I was actually on a mission to find new trail runners and ended up at @queencityrunningco_hgt ! From here, I grabbed a Great Lakes shipwreck book from @blackicecomics , new yarn from Sew Irresistible, and some @keweenawcoffee ! 8- Mocktails at the new @smallcraftco in Houghton!  #lakesuperior #keweenaw #solofemaletravel
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